Hotel Elite Status Series: Hyatt Gold Passport

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If you drank too much spiked egg nog over the holidays, you may not know it’s 2013. If that’s you, then you have serious problems. Who likes egg nog?

Anyway, it’s a new year, and with that comes planning and deciding on whether or not chasing hotel elite status makes sense for you. I’m not going to lie – I get infatuated with achieving elite status, and it usually doesn’t make sense for me. I rarely pay for hotels, but I do travel and stay in hotels often.

I like having hotel status because it can save me $$$, make my stay more comfortable, make me feel like a VIP, and impress my wife (most importantly). Plus, there are easy ways to achieve hotel status by either signing up for a hotel rewards card (gasp), status match, paid stays (what?), or rewards card spending.

With all that being said, I’m kicking off a series on the top hotel chains, including how you achieve status with them and what that status gets you.

First up with today’s post is Hyatt Gold Passport. This was my hotel chain of choice in 2012, but will it be in 2013? We shall see.

Status levels/requirements

Platinum Membership

You will earn Platinum with Hyatt after 5 qualifying stays or 15 eligible nights in a calendar year. Hyatt Gold Passport awards stays do not count towards status. It would be a hell of a lot cooler if they did. Here are the benefits for Hyatt’s Platinum membership:

Achieve rewards faster with a 15% point bonus when choosing points

Enjoy a preferred room including rooms on higher floors or larger rooms, based on availability upon arrival

Receive the confirmed bed type at check-in

Stay connected with complimentary in-room Internet access

Expedite check-in at a dedicated area for elite members

Ensure a room is always available with our 72-hour guarantee

Extend your stay until 2:00 p.m. with a late check out request

Book reservations through an exclusive Platinum line

[Hyatt stopped their Platinum Extra certificates 12/31/12]

I’ve found Platinum with Hyatt to add some good value and enjoyment to my stays at Hyatts. I had Platinum status when I went to the Park Hyatt Vendome last year, and the service was phenomenal. We were also treated to free breakfast (over a $100 value) for it being our first time as Platinum members to the Vendome. I’m not sure if that’s standard at the Vendome, but Luke and his wife received the same treatment.

Having internet is a must when I travel, and I hate paying for it, so I gots to have free wi-fi on all my hotel stays. You also get to check in at the important-people desk, bypassing all the normal people waiting in the normal line. You can extend your stay until 2pm, too. We enjoy late check-outs because we like to sleep in on vaca’s, and Jordan hates being rushed. Hates.

Diamond Membership

You will earn Diamond status with Hyatt after 25 eligible stays or 50 nights in a calendar year. Here are the benefits of Hyatt’s top status from their website:

Achieve rewards even faster with a 30% point bonus when choosing points

Enjoy the best room available upon arrival, excluding suites

Receive exclusive access to the Regency Club or Grand Club lounge featuring complimentary continental breakfast and evening hors d’oeuvres2. Enjoy daily complimentary full breakfast in hotels without a club lounge

Treat yourself to a suite upgrade at the time of reservation four times annually on paid room nights

Receive a special welcome point bonus or food and beverage amenity during each stay

Receive a nightly room refresh

Receive the confirmed bed type at check-in

Stay connected with complimentary in-room Internet access

Expedite check-in at a dedicated area for elite members

Ensure a room is always available with our 48-hour guarantee

Extend your stay until 4:00 p.m. with a late check out request

Book reservations through an exclusive Diamond line

I’ve held Diamond status with Hyatt for most of 2012, but my membership runs out at the end of February. Lame sauce. Diamond status gives you access to the Regency or Grand club lounges where you can enjoy breakfast, apps, snacks, desserts, and occasionally a drink. If a Hyatt doesn’t have a lounge, then you will be comped a full breakfast. I enjoyed the lounge at the Grand Hyatt in New York City very much, but it didn’t compare with the breakfasts I received at the Andaz in Napa, 5th Avenue, or the Park Hyatt Vendome in Paris. I saved a considerable amount of cash by taking advantage of the free breakfast. Plus, most of the breakfasts were top notch.

You can extend your stay to 4pm as a Diamond, and of course you can still get an expedited check-in in the elite-only area. Deep breath.

I wish Diamonds were upgraded to suites if available, but that’s not the case. However, you do receive 4 suite upgrades on paid stays. You can use a suite upgrade for up to 7 consecutive nights. That’s a huge perk!

I’ve never regretted using a suite upgrade, and I love surprising Jordan with them. Even though I can’t keep them a secret very well. Yes, I had to pay for two nights at the Grand Hyatt, but that’s a pretty reasonably priced hotel for NYC, and I received a triple suite upgrade. Worth it! With the two Andaz properties, I only paid for the first night and used points on the other nights, but I was extended the suite for the entirety of my stay. Shot calling.

The Diamond welcome amenity is 1,000 Gold Passport points or a food & beverage gift of the hotel’s choosing. If I’m traveling alone, I will take the 1,000 points, but if Jordan is with me, I’ll choose the food & beverage amenity (especially if it’s a wine and cheese plate… it’s a Whitmore fav).

I’ve never had a bad stay as a Diamond, even though it’s a little creepy when janitors are calling me by name. That freaked Jordan out on our Napa stay, but that’s white glove customer service at its best.

Rewards cards

There is only one co-branded Hyatt card: the Chase Hyatt Credit Card.

If you have Platinum Status with Hyatt and apply for the card, you will get an additional 2 free suite upgrades on paid stays. If you are a Hyatt Diamond member and apply for the card, your 2 free award nights will be 2 free nights in suites! I was a Diamond when I applied, so my 2 award nights were in suites, which I burned at the Park Hyatt Vendome.

I love the Hyatt rewards card because it gives you Platinum membership as long as you hold the card. This is well worth the $75 annual fee. Oh, and so is the free annual certificate at a category 4 Hyatt (think Andaz W. Hollywood). I also had no issue using my Hyatt Visa abroad with its smart chip technology and 0% foreign transaction fee.

Let’s talk about spending bonuses… There are some spending bonuses that can help you reach Diamond sooner if you’re a Platinum. You have to spend $20,000 in a calendar year to get 2 stays and 5 nights, or spend $40,000 in a calendar year to receive 3 stays and 5 nights credited towards Diamond. Yeah, thanks to Amazon Payments, Bluebird, and Vanilla Reloads, it’s easier to spend on your cards now – but the reward here isn’t worth it for me. For example, if you spend $40,000 on your Citi Hilton Honors Reserve card, you will automatically receive Hilton Diamond (top tier status), but more on that later.

all earn Ultimate Rewards points. Ultimate Rewards points can be transferred into Hyatt at a 1:1 ratio. This is how I top off my Hyatt Gold Passport account for award nights.

Status matching

Hyatt does do some status matching to Diamond with a trial run. It really is a case-by-case scenario, though. But I was able to get Hyatt to give me a status match trial to Diamond from my Priority Club Platinum Ambassador status. Not only was I given the chance to make Diamond easier, I could then apply for the Hyatt Visa and receive 2 free *suite* certificates instead of regular room award nights. Plus, you will receive the 4 suite upgrades on paid stays, too.

If you’re planning on asking Hyatt for a status match, it doesn’t hurt to go ahead and book some upcoming stays with them. You can email Hyatt at goldpassport@hyatt.com.

Award chart

Hyatt just made some updates to their award chart, but things mostly stayed the same. The main bummer was the Hyatt Lex 48 was bumped up to a category 5 hotel. Here’s the full Hyatt award chart:

Hyatt Award Chart

Overall, I like Hyatt’s award chart. And since they are a transfer partner of Ultimate Rewards, it’s easy to come up with points for a couple of nights. I’m usually booking a category 5 or 6 Hyatt with my points, and 18,000-22,000 is a bargain in my mind. However, if you can find a good category 4 property for 15,000 points (like the Andaz West Hollywood), you’re doing noobtastic.

I like that Hyatt gives you the option to burn Gold Passport points on suites, too. 33,000 for a category 6 hotel is pretty pricey, but I wouldn’t judge you one bit.

You can also use your Gold Passport points to upgrade to the Club room and get lounge access for only 3,000 Gold Passport points, or to a suite for 6,000 Gold Passport points (maximum 4 nights). You can only upgrade on a paid stay, but I still think it’s a killer value.

My strategy

I know, this was a long post. My fingers are cramping. But here’s the deal: If you’re not a Hyatt Gold Passport member, then Join Hyatt Gold Passport. I’m a Hyatt man and have turned Jordan into a Hyatt loyalist as well. But I didn’t go for Diamond again. Am I stupid? Maybe.

I will hang on to my Platinum status after my Diamond status expires in February (not a bad deal, IMHO). I get free internet, late checkout, room upgrade, and expedited check-in. Plus, there will still be the random perks (like how we received free breakfast at the Vendome).

I wish I could maintain my Diamond through credit card spending, but that’s not a reality. So I’ll be stuck with Platinum for most of this year unless some new promo comes out.

But I do think I’ll have Jordan try for the Diamond status match, and if they allow it, we will go from there. I will definitely have her apply for the Hyatt Visa if she gets Diamond trial status. I love me some suite stays, and Hyatt hasn’t disappointed us yet. There’s a lot to be said for consistency.

If you’re a road warrior, then I would say go for Diamond status with Hyatt, but know that there are fewer Hyatt hotels compared to some of the other chains.

[I receive a referral credit for the rewards cards mentioned in this post. Thank you for the support if you decide to apply through my links!]

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Noob, thanks for the great post. I have the Hyatt credit card, and I have not used my 2 free nights yet. Do I have to use them within the first year that I have the card or do I just need to make a reservation during the first year, where the reservation could be for 2 nights after the first year? Thanks

http://www.NoobTraveler.com/ Anonymous

It states that you must use them within a year, but I think as long as you made a reservation within a year – you’re golden. I would call and double check with Hyatt though.

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Editorial Note: The editorial content on this page is not provided by any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities. Opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of the bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities